RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Share

Overall
about eight-in-ten bosses (83 per cent) describe themselves as 'very satisfied'
with their family situation. In contrast, about seven-in-ten (74 per cent) of
workers are similarly content with their home lives.

Tough at the top: Bosses are more satisfied with their family life, current job and their financial situation than their workers, a study found

Bosses
also are more likely to say they have sufficient education and training
to help them succeed (73 per cent vs. 57 per cent) and to believe they are fairly paid
for the work they do (62 per cent vs. 54 per cent).

Senior managers are only about half as likely as workers to be looking for another job (12 per cent vs. 23 per cent).

The study of 2,002 adults also highlighted that men are far more likely than women to rise to the top.

Bad career move: Bosses were less likely to complain that having children harmed their career progression - but top managers were more likely to be men, the study found

Top managers said having
children has not been an obstacle to promotion, with only a third
saying family life harmed their advancement.

However,
more than four in five workers lower down the pecking order complained
that raising a family hurt their career progression.

The survey found top managers and workers are equally likely to be found in church or attending some other religious service.

The survey asked adults if they would like to someday be a boss or top manager.

Among all employed adults, about four-in-ten (39 per cent) say they would while a roughly similar share (43 per cent) say they would not.

But 16 per cent of workers surveyed say they
already are the boss or a top manager where they work.

It is this group
at or near the top of the career ladder that is the primary focus of
this analysis.

On average, bosses are about eight years older than workers (47 vs. 39) so as a group they are further along in their careers.

Only about one-in-five bosses (20 per cent)
and workers (18 per cent) say a big salary is extremely important while somewhat
similar proportions highly value a job that helps society (19 per cent and 23 per cent)
and opportunities for advancement (25 per cent and 24 per cent).

About
half of top managers (52 per cent) and employees (48 per cent) say it’s easier for a
man than a woman to get a top job in government or business. And exactly
the same proportion say men generally earn more for doing the same work
(54 per cent for both sexes).

Daily grind: Career satisfaction was lower among workers than their bosses, the Pew Research Centre found (Stock picture)

But
both labor and management offer a more positive view when asked to focus
on how men and women fare at their workplaces.

Seven-in-ten bosses and a
similar share of workers (75%) say that men and women are paid the same
for doing the same job where they work. Equally large majorities agree
that women and men have the same opportunities to advance.

Today’s bosses also are somewhat better educated than other adults. According to the survey, those with college degrees (16%) or some college experience (15%) are most likely to say they are now a boss or top manager.